Effect of the timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration on preterm neonatal outcomes / 中国小儿急救医学

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the rate and timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration in the singleton preterm infants in our hospital, and explore the relationship between the timing of antenatal corticosteroid administration associated with the causes of preterm delivery and with neonatal outcomes.Methods:The study was a retrospective chart review of clinical data regarding singleton preterm neonates and their mothers from January 2016 and June 2020 at Peking University International Hospital.Optimal administration timing was defined as the first dose of antenatal dexamethasone given ≥48 h and ≤7 d before delivery.Suboptimal administration timing included any antenatal dexamethasone timing(<48 h or >7 d) that did not meet the optimal criteria.Antenatal dexamethasone administration timings were compared among preterm delivery with different causes.The neonatal outcomes of the optimal and suboptimal administration timing groups were compared.Results:The percentage of antenatal dexamethasone use was 89.16%, with 51.35% receiving optimal dexamethasone.Women with premature rupture of membranes were most likely to receive optimal dexamethasone(63.79%), followed by women with complications of pregnancy and other disorders(54.29%). The optimal dexamethasone rate of the women with cervical incompetence and preterm labor was relatively low(20% and 28%, respectively). The incidence of respiratory distress syndrome(RDS) of optimal administration timing group was lower than that in suboptimal administration timing group among neonates at <34 weeks of gestation( P<0.05). But there was no significant difference in the incidence of severe RDS, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and need for pulmonary surfactant between two groups( P>0.05). The preterm infants with a gestational age between 34 and 34 + 6 weeks had no severe RDS or bronchopulmonary dysplasia.Compared with suboptimal administration timing group, the incidence of RDS and need for pulmonary surfactant of optimal administration timing group did not decrease significantly( P>0.05). Conclusion:The causes of preterm delivery affect the timing of antenatal dexamethasone administration.Optimizing the timing of antenatal dexamethasone administration can reduce the incidence of RDS among neonates less than 34 weeks of gestation.